The community-driven performances were the driving forces for peace and unity at the World Music Day celebrations in Vidyaranya High School. However, the real show stealers were the budding artistes — some self-trained, others formally so.
The day was kicked into gear by duo Elora Satya and Lionel Darsi. Her Norah-Jones-esque tones, a little wobbly from probable nervousness, grew more confident bar by bar. Lionel’s gentle strumming set the crowd at ease.
Another talent was 12 year-old Yash Aggarwal on the piano. From his gait and posture to the deep lines of concentration splayed across his face, one could instantly tell the boy is classically-trained. His choice of music, a Baroque composition by the revered Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, had a steady and lilting pace to it. A sure crowd-pleaser, Yash has a rich future in musical narratives ahead. Another young pianist, Matthew Peter belted out a rendition of one of the Romantic Era’s greatest maestros Chopin. The sheer talent of the city’s youth is worth nurturing and public performances such as these provide considerable scope for a versatile generation.
Harsh Saraf brought about a change of tempo, while still keeping things classical, with Agustin Barrios Mangore’ Julia Florida — a popular piece for its heated undertones of pining. The whole room fell silent as soon as the two-bar introduction began. Contrasting chords of majors and minors gave an air of mystery and reflection, transporting the audience to the hibiscus-rich haciendas of Spain.
What commemoration of musical greatness is complete without a crack at opera? Popular for its rendition by Luciano Pavarotti, the Italian ‘O Sole Mio or My Sunshine evoked a little trepidation — after all, taking on the challenge of ‘O Sole Mio in its original Neoplitan form on stage can be a risk. Oakridge music teacher Aditya Akkapeddi stiltedly teetered here and there at the beginning, but ended strongly and the emotion the song is so famously known for finally shone through. The audience rippled with applause, as anticipated.
Soprano songbird Deepika Uppuluri, accompanied by Vijay Raj on guitar, presented mashups of Bollywood songs from Guru , Delhi 6 and other Hindi favourites. The switching between tracks kept the crowd on their toes but only metaphorically speaking. It would have been great if the crowd were more participatory and on their feet for this particular peppy act, seeing as listeners were in rapture with her Shreya-Ghoshal-esque higher vocal range.
YouTubing youngster Saachi Chennur stepped out from behind the camera and mesmerised audiences with Adele’s When We Were Young . It was not her first World Music Day performance, and it showed through her confidence and mastery.
While it’s always great to see ensemble performances, actually beholding the strength and potential of individual acts make for a worthwhile performance that isn’t just about portraying talent. Seeing a showcase pulled together with a great turnout such as this one also displays the closeness of Hyderabad and its active support of the arts.
